Mocking the Draft: Take 10

WEEI.com isn’t batting an eye when it comes to the 2010 NFL Draft. From interviews with experts to original mock drafts to weekly looks at potential Patriots, this is the place to be leading up to draft weekend, April 22-24.

The final WEEI.com mock draft of 2010 has some changes, from the Lions going for Ndamukong Suh to the Jaguars passing on Joe Haden at No. 10. But as the draft looms Thursday, many questions arise: Will the Patriots pass on Dez Bryant? Do the Broncos go for Brandon Marshall’s replacement in the first round? How far will Tennessee defensive tackle Dan Williams fall if the Bills and Dolphins pass on him? The questions are just two days away from be answered, but for now we’ll have to settle for the last WEEI.com mock draft of the year.

ROUND 1

1. St. Louis (1-15) Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma Unless the Browns make a move up to No. 1, Bradford to the Rams is a lock, despite the fact that he won’t sign with the team prior to the draft. That shouldn’t be a concern for the Rams though, as they need a face for their franchise.

2. Detroit (2-14) Ndamukong Suh, DT, Nebraska This is the pick that makes or breaks the entire mock draft, and though I would like to remain on record of saying that Oklahoma tackle Russell Okung should be the pick, a session held between Lions coaches and season ticket holders this week only made the situation more cloudy. Defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham, who spoke highly of both Suh and Gerald McCoy, said that when it came time to make his pitch for who should go No. 2, he did something he had ‘never done’ before. Hmmmm. Added offensive coordinator Scott Linehan: ‘I’ll tell you what: When we’re killing the other team’s quarterback, I’m going to be happy.”

3. Tampa Bay (3-13) Gerald McCoy, DT, Oklahoma The Buccaneers have been horrible in the first round since they took their two-year break from top choices in 2002-2003. Since then, guard Davin Joseph (23rd overall, 2006) has been the lone Pro Bowler of the bunch, and he was a substitute in 2008. McCoy should get things back on track, as he was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and has only impressed since.

4. Washington (4-12) Russell Okung, OT, Oklahoma State I don’t buy talk that the Redskins are considering Clausen in the first round. If they wanted Clausen then they would see to it that a first-rounder was all they invested in the quarterback position, not the 4th and 37th picks in the best draft in years. They can find a quarterback of the future later if they want one, but right now, the priority should be landing the best tackle in the draft to protect Donovan McNabb‘s blind side.

5. Kansas City (4-12) Trent Williams, OT, Oklahoma The more I look at this pick, the more I figure it will be traded … thus ruining every mock draft in the country. I could go for half-credit by putting Eric Berry, who teams trading up will target, in this slot, but instead I’ll go for broke and project who I feel the Chiefs would take were they to keep the pick.

6. Seattle (5-11) Bryan Bulaga, OT, IowaPete Carroll would likely prefer Williams to Bulaga with this pick, but he’ll settle with a guy who can start right away. Bulaga has been compared to Robert Gallery, which might scare some teams away.

7. Cleveland (5-11) Eric Berry, S, Tennessee Berry might be the most talented player in the draft, and if he is available, a Browns team that really can’t get much worse might as well try to inject some life into a lethargic defense by selecting him.

8. Oakland (5-11) Anthony Davis, OT, Rutgers Bruce Campbell is faster and C.J. Spiller is still on the board, which begs the question: Can Al Davis please admit he’s tired of making picks purely based on speed? I feel foolish for even suggesting it, but in case they learned their lesson last year with Darius Heyward-Bey, maybe they opt for the best player at a position of need. Jimmy Clausen is also an option.

9. Buffalo (6-10) Jimmy Clausen, QB, Notre Dame The Bills need a nose tackle for their new 3-4 scheme, but could give themselves the second-best quarterback in the AFC East with this pick. Chad Henne and Mark Sanchez are still developing, so the Bills can afford to set themselves back a bit with Clausen.

10. Jacksonville (7-9) Rolando McClain, ILB, Alabama This pick should be a defensive one, but would the Jaguars pass on Joe Haden to address linebacker? They might have to, with 2009 starting middle linebacker Justin Durant moving outside. Even with Haden on the board, McClain wouldn’t be a reach for a team that would benefit from his leadership. Quick: Who was the last inside linebacker to go 10th overall? Jerod Mayo.

11. Denver [from Chicago] (7-9) Joe Haden, CB, Florida Is Dez Bryant a possibility this high? Perhaps, but the Broncos have benefited from having Champ Bailey patrol their secondary and would be foolish to pass on a potential replacement with All-Pro talent.

12. Miami (7-9) Derrick Morgan, DE, Georgia Tech I was never very high on Morgan, but all indications are the Dolphins are. With Jason Taylor now a Jet, filling his place might take precedent over replacing Jason Ferguson with Dan Williams.

13. San Francisco (8-8) Earl Thomas, S, Texas Thomas is well-rounded enough to play any position in the secondary, which should make him extremely attractive for a 49ers team that fell victim to the Nate Clements signing.

14. Seattle [from Denver] (8-8) C.J. Spiller, RB, Clemson It wouldn’t be surprising for Spiller to be gone by this point, but if the Seahawks secure a tackle at No. 6, they can hope the best back in the draft is available for them to team with Justin Forsett.

15. New York Giants (8-8) Mike Iupati, OG, Idaho The Giants desperately need an inside linebacker early, but with McClain off the board they would have to wait for the second round and hope that Daryl Washington, Sean Lee, Brandon Spikes or Darius Washington is available. In the meantime, Iupati would start over Rich Seubert and improve the offensive line.

16. Tennessee (8-8) Jason Pierre-Paul, DE/OLB, South Florida I have had either Pierre-Paul or Morgan in this slot for weeks, and even though Morgan is off the board at this point, I still believe that Jeff Fisher would rather get his hands on Pierre-Paul’s raw talent anyway. The team needs help on the line after losing Kyle Vanden Bosch in the beginning of the offseason.

17. San Francisco [from Carolina] (8-8) Bruce Campbell, OT, Maryland Campbell measures up and tests as well or better than the rest of the tackles in the draft, though he didn’t have the same impact in college as Bulaga or Okung. His combine performance was mind-blowing, but buyer beware.

18. Pittsburgh (9-7) Kyle Wilson, CB, Boise State If Haden goes in the Top 10, Wilson might not be available at this point, but the Steelers will be ecstatic if the draft’s other elite corner falls to them in the middle of the first round.

19. Atlanta (9-7) Brandon Graham, DE/OLB, Michigan The Falcons can go in many different directions with this pick, but Graham’s high motor and relentless drive to take down the quarterback will bring more to the team than any running back could.

20. Houston (9-7) Ryan Mathews, RB, Fresno State I consider this extremely high for Mathews because he simply isn’t as well-rounded as everyone seems to give him credit for. Despite questions about how he is as a pass-catcher, Mathews is agile and runs hard.

21. Cincinnati (10-6) Jermaine Gresham, TE, Oklahoma Dez Bryant is still on the board here, but the Bengals have stocked up on receivers, although they aren’t spring chickens. Gresham will be an effective receiving option but the Bengals shouldn’t count on him to be a willing blocker.

22. New England (10-6) Jared Odrick, DT, Penn State This came down to two players ‘ and no, Ricky Sapp wasn’t one of them. Despite the Torry Holt signing, I believe the Patriots will strongly consider Dez Bryant with this pick. This draft is so good on both sides of the line, however, that they should take a rock at a more important position and see which receivers are there in the second round.

24. Philadelphia (11-5) Dez Bryant, WR, Oklahoma The Eagles made out like bandits by picking up Ernie Sims, so they can choose between teaming the best receiver available with DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin or taking USC safety Taylor Mays. If value has a say, Bryant should be the pick.

25. Baltimore (9-7) Dan Williams, DT, Tennessee The Ravens will need help on the defensive line after losing Justin Bannan and Dwan Edwards. Williams going here would be reminiscent of Vince Wilfork‘s 2004 slip in which a Top 10 talent fell to the twenties due to team needs.

26. Arizona (10-6) Sergio Kindle, OLB, Texas The Eagles getting Sims really helps all of the teams clustered in the late first/early second round going for outside linebackers. Kindle has both a DUI and an accident caused by texting and driving on his record, but he is one of the most talented pass-rushers in this draft.

27. Dallas (11-5) Charles Brown, OT, USC Brown isn’t a tremendous value here, but the team needs linemen and the former Trojan can potentially replace Flozell Adams at left tackle. Help at linebacker is also needed.

28. San Diego (13-3) Jonathan Dwyer, RB, Georgia Tech The Chargers would love it if Williams could fall a few more spots, but if they have to settle on a running back they might as well take the hardest runner, and that’s Dwyer. Rumors of a positive test for amphetamines at the combine won’t hurt Dwyer, since it was prescribed ADD medication.

29. New York Jets (9-7) Everson Griffen, DE/OLB, USC Does the signing of Jason Taylor make it any less likely that the Jets will go after Griffen in the first round? Absolutely not. The Jets don’t have many holes on the depth chart and Taylor won’t be around long enough to warrant passing on the talented-but-risky Griffen.

30. Minnesota (12-4) Cam Thomas, DT, UNC If the Vikings are particularly high on any of the cornerbacks available ‘ and there are some good ones with Devin McCourty, Kareem Jackson and Patrick Robinson still on the board ‘ they will make a pick for the secondary, but Thomas will eventually replace 37-year old Pat Williams.

31. Indianapolis (14-2) Kareem Jackson, CB, Alabama In a perfect world the Colts would have Pouncey available to them, but cornerback gets the call with him off the board. Golden Tate is a very smart receiver and would be a good fit, but the depth chart is overflowing with receivers.

32. New Orleans (13-3) Sean Weatherspoon, OLB, Missouri Weatherspoon is a safer pick for the Saints, and after losing Scott Fujita to the Browns, this may be a crucial pick when it comes to holding the defense together.